Actress Evan Rachel Wood Has Been Meditating Since 12 Years Old

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The actress Evan Rachel Wood has been meditating since she was 12 years old. Now at 25, she is expecting her first child with husband Jamie Bell and told Britain’s ELLE Magazine meditation is a central part of her life to keep her calm and keep anxiety at bay.

‘I began meditating when I was 12. In my industry it’s easy to get caught up in the anxiety of it all, so I take time to sit and breathe by the ocean – there’s something so calming about that, it puts everything into perspective,” she said. “I started doing yoga too. I totally get why everyone’s in love with it now. It’s pretty great.”

She also said dancing is a great way to clear her head. ”Dancing is the most fun workout. It’s another way for me to clear my head. I’m not thinking about anything else, just getting out some energy. If you’ve seen me dance, I flip my head around, jump and stomp a lot,” she said.

OMT Effective on Low Back Pain, New Study Shows

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More than 632 million people worldwide suffer from low back pain, and it is a leading cause of disability, according to a report by ScienceDaily.com. A new study, conducted at The Osteopathic Research Center at the UNT Health Science Center (UNTHSC) in Fort Worth, Texas used osteopathic manual treatment (OMT) and ultrasound therapy to treat chronic low back pain in 455 adults.

Patients in the study who received ultrasound therapy did not see any improvement, but the patients who received OMT saw significant improvement in pain, used less prescription medication and were more satisfied with their care over the 12 weeks of the study compared to those who did not receive OMT, according to the ScienceDaily report.

In the study, nearly two thirds of the patients who received OMT – six treatments overall – had a 30 percent reduction in their pain level, and half had a 50 percent reduction in their pain level. Patients received six treatments during the course of the study.

“One of the great benefits of OMT is that it has few side effects compared with other common treatments for low back pain that often involve serious side effects,” said John Licciardone, D.O., executive director of UNTHSC and author of a study published in recently in the Annals of Family Medicine. “In our study, patients who had higher levels of pain saw even greater reductions in pain.”

This means not only does OMT work to reduce pain, it seems to work even better in people who experience higher pain levels, he said in the report. “These are the very people who are often treated with potentially addictive drugs such as OxyContin and Vicodin, epidural steroid injections or surgery. If we can reduce the use of these drugs and invasive procedures by helping people to feel better with a hands-on treatment that has few side effects, that is a plus for our patients, and it makes a significant contribution to the management of chronic pain,” said Licciardone.

He concluded there is now evidence of “moderate to substantial pain relief and a reduction in the use of prescription medications over 12 weeks.” The next step is to look at a longer follow-up period to see if the results can be maintained or improved upon.

The Treasure Bracelet

Posted on by Tammy

The Treasure Bracelet is a collection of bracelets made with antique-finished, sterling silver plated beads, and featuring inspirational words, including Faith, Hope, Believe, as well as charms with Buddha and the Tree of Life.

On the website it states: “The Treasure Bracelet serves as a personal pledge to appreciate and honor all of life’s treasures. The Treasure Bracelet symbolizes a life of gratitude, choice and opportunity.”

Our favorite is the Faith Bracelet, which is a two layer wrap bracket featuring the charm Faith and a magnetic clasp!

View all the designs at www.treasurebracelet.com.

The “Yes, Buts” and Tail-Enders of Killing Your Dreams

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By Shery Winn

When people first hear of the Law of Attraction, it sounds simple. After all the premise of it is simple: like attracts like, or we get what we think about most of the time. If we can think of what we desire and keep our minds on what we desire, we will receive it.

It does sound basic; a core concept that once learned can provide the manifestation of all our aspirations.

The problem is we have to learn to control our thoughts because every thought is creative. We cannot think that one thought has more power than another thought, unless we have learned the power of utilizing absolute conviction behind our thoughts.

In other words, most of us want something but we don’t think we can have it, or we want it but we don’t see how we can get it. Our doubts interfere with the conviction behind the thought. We tend to use the “Yes, but” statements.

Yes, I want a new job, but I don’t see how that can happen right now.
Yes, I would love to have a partner who supports me, but I’ve never had that in the past.
Yes, I want to get rid of this chronic health issue I have, but I’ve had it for so long that I don’t think it will ever go away.

We are stating what we want, but in the very same breath we are taking away the power of our conviction. There is no true feeling of having what we desire. We are hoping and wanting, but not believing. Faith is necessary in creating what we want.

We also devalue our goals with the use of the tail-enders in sentences. We have to learn to listen to how we tell our stories. Tail-enders are the phrases we use after the words “but” and “because.” When we have reasons why we can’t have, be or do something, then we are creating the lack of belief behind our desire.

I would have been the CEO of that company, but I never got the opportunity because I’m just not social enough for the board of trustees.
I never got to be the writer I wanted to be, because my 4^th grade teacher told me that I was not smart enough to even write a single sentence correctly.
I was going to start my own company but never did, because my father told me there was no security in self-employment.

We are great at having dreams but then not believing we deserve them. We give more power to our doubts than to our faith. We find ways to stop ourselves from getting what we desire by being wishy-washy with our thoughts.

Remember every thought has power.

While we can’t control every single thought that comes through our brain, we can start listening to what we are saying and the conviction behind the thought. If we can learn to put larger emotions behind the thoughts we want rather than our doubts, then we are on the path to manifesting our desires.

Here are some quick ways to assist you with learning to use conviction.

Meditate daily. Take 10-30 minutes a day to practice controlling your thoughts and getting in connection with your higher self.
Visualize yourself already having what you desire. FEEL it as you visualize it. Make it as real in your mind as possible.
If you can’t feel it, ask yourself why you desire it. Become impassioned with your reasons why you want it.
Ask yourself questions of why you already have it. For example:

Why am I so thin?
How did I make all this money?
Why is my partner so loving and kind to me?

The Law of Attraction is always working whether we are aware of its power or not. We can choose to use it in our favor by becoming more aware or we can allow it to control us. The more we learn to use our emotions of conviction, the more we will find our dreams changing from the surreal to the real.

Sherry Winn is an author, EFT Practitioner, Certified Law of Attraction and Master Life Coach and a motivational speaker, whose topics include “Making the Impossible Possible,” “Loving Challenges,” and “Catching Your Dreams.” As a former elite athlete competing at the Olympic Games in 1984 and 1988 in the sport of team handball and head collegiate coach for 23 years, she possesses a deep passion for helping others become motivated to reach their highest levels of success.

Winn overcame her fears and limitations when she contracted chronic pain at the age of 33 and was told by 17 different medical professionals there was no answer. Through books, meditation, mentors and Webinars, she discovered the power of healing through positive thinking.

To receive a free 50-minute Law of Attraction coaching session, or more information about Winn, she can be contacted by email at sherrymwinn@gmail.com, through her website at www.ucancreatesuccess.com or on Facebook.

Mindfulness Meditation Shown to Enhance Mental Health in Children

Posted on by Tammy

More teachers and parents are beginning to embrace meditation for children, and now there is a study to show its effectiveness.

Professor Willem Kuyken from the Mood Disorders Centre at the University of Exeter presented evidence from new research findings of a trial showing how mindfulness is effective in improving the well-being of children ages 12 to 16 years at the Mindfulness in Schools Project Annual Conference in London, according to a report by MedicalXpress.com.

The research included students from 12 secondary schools who participated in mindfulness – being aware of the present moment and learning to relate to thoughts, emotions, body sensations and impulses as they arise – or took part in the usual school curriculum. The young people who participated in the mindfulness program reported fewer depressive symptoms, lower stress and greater well-being than those in the control group, according to the report.

Look Who’s Talking: How to Respond to Negative Self-Talk

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By Dr. Friedemann Schaub

For many years I was struggling with negative self-talk and mind-racing. From the moment I woke up, my thoughts bounced randomly from anything that had gone wrong in the past to a daunting “what-if reality” of the future and back, taking me on an exhausting mental and emotional roller-coaster ride. If you, too, struggle with a restless, anxious mind, you’re probably familiar with the negative voice that often pipes up at the most inopportune moments.

Maybe just before a first date your mind weighs in with, “What if you don’t have anything interesting to say?” Or as you are preparing for a presentation at work you hear, “Everyone knows you are just a fraud.“ To make matters worse, this negative part of our mind appears completely immune to logic or rational thinking.

Some teachings suggest negative self-talk stems from our ego, or the “monkey mind,” which is best ignored or fought by saying to ourselves “Stop! I don’t want to listen to you,” or simply, “Shut up.” However, in my case, it seemed the harder I tried to ignore or mute this inner voice, the more active and out of control it became.

Over the years I found rather than just suppressing these negative, anxious or critical thoughts, what worked best for my clients and I was to understand where they come from ― and what they are trying to achieve. Obviously we don’t consciously choose to deflate or scare ourselves, which means the source of these thoughts lies in a deeper part of our mind – the subconscious. But does our subconscious just have a mind of its own – or is there a purpose to negative self-talk?

During our early years, when we’re the most dependent on others to take care of our basic needs, our mind, especially our subconscious, sponges up all outside information that appears relevant to our sense of safety and comfort. Negative feedback, judgment or ridicule infiltrate our subconscious and leave us wondering whether we’re really safe, lovable or good enough.

In response, a part of our subconscious mind develops protective strategies to keep us from getting hurt. These strategies can range from trying to be invisible, pleasing others, aiming to be perfect, or becoming highly vigilant to avoid potential criticism and failure. Let’s imagine the negative and anxious thoughts you’ve been battling with stem from the part of your subconscious that has assumed the job of keeping you safe. Doesn’t it then make sense that these thoughts make you expect the worst, so you are prepared, keep you on your toes to avoid failure – or shame and belittle you, before someone else can do this to you?

But how do you respond to the negative thoughts of this inner protector? Imagine you’re with a frightened, insecure child who says, “I’m afraid that I’ll fail” or “Nobody cares about me.” How would you respond? Would you ignore the child or tell it to shut up? Or would you buy into its anxiety and tell that child, “Yes, you’re right, you suck and the world doesn’t care about you?” Probably not. What you would do is to comfort and reassure the child with kindness and compassion until it feels heard, safe and at ease.

Since the subconscious protector creates your negative self-talk developed during your childhood, it responds in a very similar way. Instead of ignoring, repressing or agreeing with it, this anxious, insecure voice needs to be addressed, reassured and appeased. This is why the following method is so effective that, with it, most of my clients can significantly reduce their negative self-talk within just a couple of weeks.

Step 1–Write in a notebook or enter into your smartphone a negative thought the moment you notice it.

Step 2–Take a reality check and ask yourself:

Is this thought true?
Does this thought make me feel good?
Does this thought help me to reach my goals?

These questions interrupt the spiral of negative thinking before it gets out of control.

Step 3-Immediately write down three positive thoughts to counterbalance the negative one. For example: Something bad will happen. Counterbalances could be: Right now, I am OK. There’ve been many times I was worried and everything turned out well. I have the strength and abilities to handle anything that come my way.

Step 4-Add positive emotions to your counter-balancing thoughts. I know that feeling positive and compassionate toward yourself can be a huge challenge, especially when you’re struggling with anxiety and low self-esteem. Therefore it’s helpful to remember the main source of your negative self-talk is a younger part of your subconscious mind, which is just playing old “tapes” and repeating outdated protective programs.

You will notice how much easier it is to speak in a calm, reassuring and comforting way when you visualize addressing an inner child. By counterbalancing your negative thoughts with kindness and compassion, you take on the proactive role of the competent, reassuring adult and automatically shift your consciousness and attitude from “I’m powerless” to “I’m taking charge.”

When you consider the source of negative self-talk and understand its needs, you no longer feel that you’re the victim of your own mind, but instead are able to guide your thoughts in the direction you want them to go.

Friedemann Schaub MD, PhD is the author of “The Fear and Anxiety Solution.” As a physician specializing in cardiology and molecular biologist, Dr. Schaub became increasingly fascinated by the powerful influence of our thoughts, emotions and beliefs on health and disease. He recognized our abundant self-healing abilities can only function effectively when mind, body and spirit are in alignment, and believes the subconscious mind holds the keys to accelerated healing, well-being, and success.

Dr. Schaub created a breakthrough and empowerment program combining his medical expertise with NLP, Time Line Therapy™, clinical hypnotherapy, meditation, and more. For more details about his work, visit www.celluarwisdom.com and www.thefearandanxietysolution.com. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter: @drschaubf.